August 9th

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2nd Corinthians 11:30

if we must,
may we not crow about
the walls we put around our hearts,
but of the cracks which allow grace

to tiptoe in,
of our hands which hope unclenches
so we can hold mercy’s bread.
for you are not found
on those stages with minions
holding up signs with your name,
but at those tables where outsiders
are offered the empty chairs.
your Spirit gathers our fragile fragments
like seeds carried on the wind,
whispering that weakness
is not the end of our story,
but the doorway through which
God's hope enters the world.
let us brag, if we must brag,
of Love which still kneels
to wash the feet of the forgotten,
of compassion outlasting contempt,
and the Risen One
who always makes our brokenness
a home for resurrection.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 8th

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.” Acts 4:32

perhaps the key was not
those folks had enough, but
that they discovered that
nobody should go without.
we keep scorecards of
winners and losers,
but God counts neighbors.
we keep running back
to the world’s fear-the-outsider store
buying lumber, nails, and tools,
to put up higher walls,
while the Spirit keeps oiling
the gates in our hearts, so
they will easily swing open.
for every loaf shared,
every debt forgiven,
every weary soul welcomed
becomes another verse added
to the gospel still being written.
the Beloved Community is seen
not when every voice agrees
but when each hand opens,
not when we share the same opinions
but when we shoulder everyone’s burden,
until no one is forgotten.
that is resurrection’s quiet revolution—
what i call mine becomes ours
and what we once thought
would never be enough becomes,
by God’s radical grace,
more than enough for all.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 7th

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5

for all who carry shame
for every exhausted parent
for every lonely person—
may we do whatever
grace tells us.
for those who live in fear’s shadows
for those who are on the margins
for all stuck in grief’s quicksand—
may we do whatever
hope tells us.
for those battered by violence
for polarized communities
for all called the enemy—
may we do whatever
peace tells us.
for everyone we forget
for all who are labeled failures
for any rejected teenager—
may we do whatever
love tells us.
for anyone whose best friend
is loneliness,
for those are told
they are not enough,
for those pushed aside
by us in our rush—
may we do whatever
inclusion tells us.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 6th

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
    more than those who watch for the morning,
    more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6

i wait . . .
even on the mornings when
i wake to news which overwhelms,
when my device overflows with
more cruelty than compassion,
more hate than love—
for your grace still fills our world
if we will but notice.
i wait . . .
even as the day grows longer
and despair grows stronger
in the face of those who give
allegiance to lies and can
no longer distinguish between
what is right and what is wrong—
for your hope still fills our world
if we will but notice
i wait . . .
even as the shadows of weariness
merge with the dusk of fear
in these nights when even sleep
is afraid to close its eyes,
wondering what hobgoblins might
be hiding in the corners—
for your love still fills our world
if we will but notice.
i wait . . .
more than ever before—
for you still fill our world,
if we will but notice.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 5th

"'And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.'" Acts 3:17

however we parrot the anger,
the bitterness, the demeaning
words which we hear from
those who claim to have our
best interests at heart,
wherever we blame a certain
party, or community, or people
for all the problems around us,
when we share posts and memes
which echo our world views but
which have no truth behind them,
have mercy on us,
Holy One of all people,
for we cannot claim that
we did not know any better,
while proudly boasting that
you are the One we follow,
whose words we believe,
whose life we seek to mirror,
whose love, grace, hope,
justice and peace are the pillars
which we fall off of all too often.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 4th

The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, “My own hand has delivered me.” Judges 7:2

that bootstrap we think we used
to pull ourselves up to where we are
was the neighbor who hired us
to mow the lawn and babysit the kids,
was the teacher who let us
retake that test we needed to pass,
was the supervisor who took a chance
on the untrained person sitting across
the desk in a botched job interview.
that self-made person we see
in the mirror every day and brag about
came about through the sacrifices
of the grandmother who worked in factories,
the uncle who drove a tractor,
that older sister who tutored us in math,
the parents who gave up their own dreams.
that success we enjoy which
so many others applaud and envy
is because of those who stayed
in the background silently nudging us
even though we left them behind
without a simple word of thanks.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

August 3rd

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:5

the narcissists really believe the lies
they tell so often, that the shadowy
substance of fear, of doubt, of worry
is exactly what people are longing
to have fill their lives.
the power brokers of cruelty and hate
think that all they have to do
is slowly turn the dial on love
dimmer and dimmer until
it disappears completely from
our lives and no one will care.
but then,
your little dot of grace
appears just at the edge
of the horizon, slowly
glowing brighter and brighter,
slowly growing closer and closer
as you wrap us in your
heart and we are held in your
hope forever.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman